PEORIA, Ariz – Rangers ownership made a move on Friday that could trickle down all the way to Kyle Lohse.

The owners concluded two days of meetings by beefing up Jon Daniels’ title. He is now the president of baseball operations/general manager.

Nolan Ryan remains chief executive officer, but he shed president as part of his title. An icon does not need an elaborate title.

That ownership added president to Daniels’ job description is telling. The move recognizes Daniels’ growth and the outstanding leadership group he has put together. San Francisco’s Brian Sabean, whose club has won two World Series in the last three years, may be the only general manager with more job security than Daniels.

What does this mean for this year’s club?

Plenty.

Daniels has a roster problem that ownership can help solve with a bump in the payroll.

A year ago, the Rangers shortened games with a deep bullpen. They were 77-5 when leading entering the seventh inning and 79-2 when leading entering the eighth. Closer Joe Nathan took care of the ninth.

Nathan is back to get the final three outs, but his supporting cast is different. The Rangers lost 34 “holds” -- preserved save opportunities -- when Mike Adams and Koji Uehara departed as free agents. Alexi Ogando, part of the late-innings group, has returned to the rotation.

The late-game bullpen candidates this spring have been uninspiring so far. The Rangers will get their first look at right-hander Jason Frasor, another possibility, when he makes his first spring appearance Saturday.

Ogando has had two rough outings. Manager Ron Washington has supported Ogando, but there could soon come a point when the Rangers have to admit they are better served with Ogando and his fastball-slider combination in the bullpen.

To do that, the Rangers would need to find another starter. Enter Lohse.

In the last two seasons, Lohse was 30-11 with a 3.11 ERA for 399 1/3 innings. He remains on the free-agent market as his representative, Scott Boras, refuses to give in to low-ball offers.

Lohse, a right-hander, would improve the Rangers’ rotation and bullpen. All it takes is money. And if ownership thinks as highly of Daniels as it seems, this is a good time for him to cash in on that goodwill and request a larger payroll.

With the current roster, the Rangers will likely open the season with a payroll of about $122 million. They had a club-record payroll of $120.8 million last season.

The Rangers also had a club-record attendance of 3,460,280 last season, second-highest in the majors. The club is nearing the start of a lucrative new local-television contract.

In December, Ryan said it was possible for the club to fit a pair of expensive free agents on the roster: outfielder Josh Hamilton and right-hander Zack Greinke. Both went to Los Angeles. Hamilton signed a five-year, $125-million deal with the Angels. Greinke took a six-year, $147-million contract with the Dodgers. Add in pro-rated signing bonuses, and they will earn a combined $36 million this season.

The Rangers had the cash to get in on Greinke and Hamilton. That money did not vanish when Greinke and Hamilton signed elsewhere. If ownership thinks as highly of Daniels as it seems to, it should rubber-stamp a request for the resources to add Lohse. Jon Daniels does not make flip requests.

Each day Lohse remains unsigned helps the Rangers’ position. Boras must get Lohse into a camp soon. The Rangers probably could add Lohse for a short-term deal with an annual average value of $14 million. They could make the deal work by giving Lohse an out clause that would allow him to try free agency again soon.

If that is what the newly minted president of baseball operations wants, ownership should just ask ''where do we sign?" As ownership acknowledged, Jon Daniels knows what he is doing.

To post a comment, log into your chosen social network and then add your comment below. Your comments are subject to our Terms of Service and the privacy policy and terms of service of your social network. If you do not want to comment with a social network, please consider writing a letter to the editor.